Warm Light on a Winter Day
by Seraina
Summary: Set some time after StD. After Ron's mysterious disappearance, Kim showed up at Felix's door in order to try to scrape some sanity back together. Felix takes her in, hoping to stave off his own inner demons. An alternate pairing.
1. The Wonderful Future

**_Warm Light on a Winter Day_**

By Seraina

Rated: PG 13 – M (dealing with adult situations and swearing)

**Chapter 1 – The Wonderful Future**

Felix smiled as the last flash went off. He waited a moment as the spots cleared from his eyes. There they all were, in caps and gowns while their parents took endless amounts of pictures. He feigned embarrassment at his mother's emotional display. He'd only graduated high school; it wasn't like he just saved the world.

But he had just graduated high school and had been accepted into one of the best engineering programs in the world on a full scholarship. So, he did have something to be happy about. He looked over at two of his closest friends, Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible. They were kissing (big shock) and their parents were snapping rolls of film. Though they were interrupted by Kim's Kimmunicator… and were soon off to save the world… again. Felix just shook his head and smiled. As Kim would say, it's no big. That's just what they did. Hopefully they would be back before the all-night party at the school. It was tradition, after all.

Felix turned his head and smiled just in time to be flash-blind once more. Luckily his mom was there to keep him from steering his chair into anyone. "Thanks Mom," He looked up to the beaming doctor.

"I'm so proud of you, Felix. Let's go grab dinner before your party. To celebrate… the wonderful future," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan. A very good one."

Six years. It had been six years since graduation. Felix pushed himself up off the pillow and looked blearily at the clock. 3:24 am. He had been thinking about his old friends lately. He was going to call Ron one of these days… the latest game console had come out, and of course, he was thinking of buying it. Sighing, he reached over and flicked on the lamp setting on the nightstand.

Beside the glasses he had started to wear in the past couple of years was a framed picture of the "old gang". Felix propped his chin with his hands and looked at the old photo. That was the summer he dated Monique. She was a great woman. Took no lip from anyone about what she liked. But their problems as a couple had always been because they were far too much alike… and far too stubborn to form a compromise. After they had both gone away to college on opposite ends of the country, they had realized that they would be better off as just friends. He had even been at her wedding… to Brikk Flagg of all people.

He was just about to shut off the light and try to sleep once more when the phone started ringing. With a groan, Felix pulled the portable off its cradle. "Hullo?"

"Felix? This is Wade," the voice on the other end said. Of course he had remembered the twelve-year old genius… of course Wade was now officially an adult.

"It's four in the morning, Wade… what do you need?" he shifted on the bed in order to make himself more comfortable. He knew that Wade wouldn't just call him this early for no reason.

"It's Ron, Felix. He disappeared."

"What do you mean? I mean…" Felix was shocked… and still half asleep. Ron couldn't have just been abducted by aliens… ninjas maybe, but shouldn't they know where he is? As far as he knew, Wade had always been able to track their friend.

"He's just… gone. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Felix," The younger man apologized.

"How long has he been gone?" He asked as the gears in his mind slowly started to turn once more.

"He's been gone for a week… Kim is worried sick… actually, that's one of the reasons I called. She's gone off to look for him and… well, I last picked her up out near your place. If you see her…"

"I'll do my best, Wade. Though I doubt she'd just show up on my door." Felix had bid goodbye to Wade… and suddenly someone had decided to pound in his door.

Another groan and Felix threw aside the sheets on his bed before pulling himself into the wheelchair sitting beside the bed. As he pushed the wheels through the wide bedroom door, his thoughts drifted to his old tricked-out chair that was currently collecting dust at his mother's house.

Another violent knock and Felix unlocked the apartment door, only to look up at a soaking wet Kim Possible.

"Kim?" Felix said stunned, then remembered he was wearing nothing but the flannel pajama pants and backed the wheelchair up so Kim could step out of the cold and wet night.

"I'm …I didn't know where else to go and… I remembered you lived out in Los Angeles… Can I… Can I crash for a couple of days?" she asked wearily, water dripping off her light jacket and onto the carpet.

"Yeah, of course. Anything. Let me get you a towel," Felix said, going straight to the linen closet.


	2. Ballad of the Tragic Hero

Because you asked for it

Chapter 2: Ballad of the Tragic Hero

Kim was dressed in a GWA tee shirt and a pair of Felix's sweatpants with the drawstring pulled tight and tied in a hasty bow. She was toweling off her long red hair on the couch while Felix made some hot tea. She had barely spoken a word since she changed out of her wet clothes.

"Feel better?" Felix asked, wheeling back into the living room with a tray in his lap.

"A little," Kim said softly as she put the damp towel down in her lap. She sat quietly, her hands balling up the damp towel in her hands. She glanced up through red wet waves and watched her friend pour the tea. "What happened to the rocket chair?" she asked rather abruptly.

"Hmmm? Oh, it started to be a pain in the ass, so I just switched to a regular one. This one's easier to get in my car anyway," he said as he handed her the steaming cup. She wrapped her hands around the cup and inhaled the aroma of the mint tea. "Sorry… I didn't have any milk for hot chocolate," he said apologetically.

"It's okay…" she said with a weak smile. "I'm surprised you remembered that."

"Hey, I'm a guy. I'm supposed to retain a bunch of useless information," he shrugged a little as he set his own mug on the coffee table and pulled a Cal Tech sweatshirt over his head. He sat at a "safe" distance, not too close, but not far away.

"Ron's gone," her voice wavered, the small sound bouncing off the white walls of the apartment.

"I know. Wade called me… not ten minutes ago," Felix said, meeting Kim's astonished gaze.

"Did he know?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"He didn't know where you were. He said that you were seen in this state. I don't think he would have tracked you to my door, though that is a bit creepy," he said, sipping his tea.

"I didn't mean to intrude… it actually took quite a while to find you," she said, picking up her mug and sipping it a little before stirring some sugar into it.

"Really? Come to mention it, I was wondering why it took Wade so long to tell me that Ron had gone missing… What happened?"

"I had to go to a conference in Denver for my graduate work," she started slowly, testing the sweetness of her tea as the painful memory surfaced. "His phone stopped working, but sometimes he forgot to charge the battery so… so I didn't think anything of it. I got home and… and the place was trashed. There was… blood and mud all over the place," she set the mug down before she dropped it. Before she knew it, Felix was in front of her, taking her shaking hands in his.

"Hey, shhh, it's alright. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. If you don't want to remember that's fine," he said gently, holding her shaking hands. There was nothing but concern in his blue eyes. It wasn't pity… and for that she was grateful.

"I'm sorry I just… I just want a break. I can't take not being able to do anything," she said, sniffing back the tears.

"What do you mean, Kim? There is a lot you could do," he asked, still holding her hands.

"No, I've... I've been everywhere and nobody's seen him. That and... I… I just don't know what I would do without him..." she trailed off.

"It's alright Kim," he bent down so he could see her face. He smiled, "Stay as long as you need to. I won't tell you to call home… but do consider sending a note or something in a few days."

"Okay… but… I'm not ready yet," she said softly, meeting his blue eyes once more.

OOO

Kim shifted again in the big bed. She wondered for the millionth time why Felix had a queen sized bed when he obviously lived alone… though a few hints around the apartment made her believe that he had been living with someone until recently. She sighed and tried to not feel weird… she was the guest… she should be the one sleeping on the pull-out sofa. She wasn't the handicapped one…

Oh hell… she was doing that again. Kim tried to push all of that out of her head. She hadn't been this awkward around Felix since she first met him!

She looked up at the clock and decided to get out of bed. She stretched and wandered out to the kitchen. Felix had already left for work, but he had left her a note on the counter.

"What am I, fourteen?" she frowned and shook her head as she picked up the slip of paper and read Felix's blocky printing.

"Hey, I have to work today (meetings that won't wait) but luckily it's Friday. If you want, I can take a personal day on Monday for no other reason than to not go to work (and I figure you don't want to be alone right now). There are waffles in the microwave and juice in the fridge. I didn't get the chance to make coffee, but feel free. Don't be scared, the fridge is empty. I'll pick up takeout on the way home, around 3 or so. Feel free to poke about the apartment. Felix." He also left his cell phone number and a number for his office.

"Wow… no wonder Ron made him plan all the all-night game sessions," she said to herself as she set the note down and searched for the breakfast her host had made for her before she could dwell on the thoughts of Ron. She opted for the juice and ate her meal at the small table in the kitchen area.

"Chill Kim... Global Justice is on the case now... they have Will Du looking all over the place... Wade's working on it... Sensei and all those ninjas... someone more mentally stable will bring him home," she reasoned, trying not to feel guilty for crying on Felix's shoulder. Balancing her graduate school with the teaching she'd been doing plus the extra work GJ gave her had been hard. She was tired. Mentally and physically exhausted. If she forgot about the circumstances of this visit, Kim could honestly say it was nice that nobody expected anything from her.

"Oh Felix. Why did you say that I had free reign in the apartment? I feel like I have to snoop around now!" she pouted and then decided that a little bit of childishness would be alright… so she opened up the door opposite of the bathroom.

It was a bedroom, but was set up as an office. Well, less of an office and more of a place to store various marked boxes with a computer desk in the corner. Nothing terribly interesting save for the amount of unpacked boxes in the room. Maybe she would ask Felix about it later. She opted to take a quick shower and changed into a set of clothes she brought with her and decided to watch TV for the rest of the day.

"No soaps... maybe... maybe I'll go for the science channel..." she muttered to herself as she flipped channels until she found a program about how boxed cereal is made. "That's almost interesting."


	3. Kissing the Lipless

For Cody MacArthur Fett, for the inspiration to continue with this interesting and yet maddening pair. Kim stresses me out. And if you haven't guessed already, I'm not getting to the disclaimer: I'm just borrowing these characters to torture. I don't own any of them.

* * *

Chapter 3: Kissing the Lipless

Felix returned home that first day with two bags of takeout balanced on his lap. There was so much food, Kim wondered how he managed to get it all from his car to the door without dropping one container of wonton soup.

"Here, let me help," Kim offered, lifting a bag of soup and rice from Felix's lap and setting it on the table.

"Thanks, so... how was your day?" He asked, taking a few plates from a cupboard below the counter and setting the table.

"I watched the science and technology channels until I fell asleep on the couch. That is a very comfortable couch," she started, watching him set the table. It struck her as odd that he wouldn't just eat Chinese from the little paper containers, but... she supposed that Felix wasn't as against doing dishes as most of the males she knew.

"Yeah? That's good. I had meetings all day. I was bored to death and almost feigned the plague to get out of there," he leaned his elbows on the table and looked up at her. It took Kim a minute to realize that he was waiting for her to take a seat in the only chair at the table.

"Sorry, I spaced for a second," Kim started opening the food containers to inspect the selection. "What do you do?"

"I'm an engineer. I work for a big firm downtown and all that. I think they only hired me because they needed a token gimp," he said before taking a bite out of an eggroll.

"Felix! You can't say that!" Kim nearly shouted, but she then turned red when she realized her host was only joking.

"Joking, Kim... one of these days, I'll get you used to my dry and sarcastic wit," he grinned. "So, are you going to hang around a bit or will you head off soon?"

"I don't know. Really... I think I need some time to figure out what I want to do now. I know I have to finish my grad work. And I know I have to go back to Middleton. And there's all this ...this stuff!" the woman that can do anything threw up her hands in frustration. "I am so SICK of being myself. I want Ron! I want him to be found so we can go away and do something selfish and totally silly for no other reason than we want to and..." she trailed off and wiped her eyes with a napkin.

"Kim? Hey... don't cry... I'm not kicking you out... I just wanted to know if we should clear a path in the other bedroom," he said reassuringly, reaching across the table to put a comforting hand on her arm.

"There's a bed under all that junk?" She asked, sniffing a little and giving her friend a weak smile.

"Somewhere... I think," Felix grinned and passed Kim a fortune cookie. "Here, maybe the cookie has an answer for you."

Kim cracked open the cookie and read the little slip of paper, "Happiness is found in the West."

"That's... a weird thing to put in a cookie," Felix remarked, finishing his bowl of soup.

"Yeah... maybe the guy with the tiny typewriter ran out of ideas?" Kim said, still looking at the paper.

OOO

Ronald Dean Stoppable was pronounced dead after Global Justice analyzed Kim and Ron's former apartment and traced the mud samples back to Camp Wanaweep. There, Agent Will Du and his forensic team found enough of a body to make a conclusion… Ron had been taken by Gill and then killed.

Why? Nobody knew... and there was no sign of Gill or any other villain interference with the swamp. It didn't make sense. And the pieces definately didn't add up... but it was the only answer that the tired agent could grasp at. People like Ron just don't disappear... they didn't!

Will Du spent the better part of three days combing the swamp for further evidence… but he was forced to give up when Dr. Director pulled them from their futile search.

In Middleton nearly a month after Ron's disappearance, a memorial service was held. Kim and Felix arrived late, stayed in the back and left before anyone knew she was there. Their tardiness had been due to trouble with the airline. Flying like a civilian was harder than she remembered... adding that to the difficulties of traveling with someone in a wheelchair to double the headache. Kim forced Felix to leave early because she couldn't bear the looks on Ron's parents' faces. The funeral was just as horrible as she'd imagined it to be.

Before their evening flight back to LA, Kim stopped at her parent's house and hugged her brothers before telling them that she needed some time off... to think about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

When they were safely back in Los Angeles late that night, Felix held her as she cried.

OOO

It was late on a Sunday night and Felix had used some of his vacation time for the trip home, not expecting Kim to hyperventilate to the point of hysteria until he agreed to take her back to LA that night. He Hadn't realized how much of a wreck she was inside, but he supposed that Ron was and had always been her emotional support. Now she was flying free and spiraling towards a very dark place.

"I think we need to get drunk," Felix told Kim as he shifted her from his shoulder.

"Drunk? Now? I... I don't think..." Kim started to fumble for a reason not to.

"Look, we just buried Ron. It doesn't matter that we didn't stay enough to eat cake afterwards. I had a hard day and I know you had a hard day, so really, I'm going to drink," so he had put his foot down (metaphorically) and, even if this was probably the worst idea he'd had since he blew up that microwave when he was thirteen, he had three more days free from work where he could deal with the outcome.

"What do you have?" his house guest asked quietly, unsure of how to get into the practice of getting entirely shit-faced.

"Well, I know it doesn't seem manly, but for some reason, I have several bottles of wine," he shrugged and pushed his chair into the kitchen. "People keep giving me bottles of wine at holidays and things and I never have guests over so I never opened any of them."

"OH... for a second, I though... nevermind," she shook her head and followed him into the kitchen.

"What? That I was a raving drunk recluse?" He turned to her before planting two hands on the kitchen counter and hoisted himself onto the counter to check the cupboard up there.

"No but... I don't know... I guess I just realized that I don't really know you very well," she admitted shyly.

"Yeah? Well now is as good of a time as any to start," he said, starting to place the bottles on the counter beside him.

OOO

Three bottles of wine down and the pair started drinking the more dubious of the independent vineyards supposed best. Felix had long since abandoned his chair to lay crookedly on the couch. Kim was drunk. Everything Felix said was hilarious... and she could almost forget that Ron was dead.

At that moment, she finally asked (what she felt was) _the_ question. "So Felix… How um… how did you… your umm…" she stuttered.

"Kim?" he turned to her, shifting on the couch so he could look at her with a playful smirk. "Are you finally asking about the wheelchair?"

Kim's face turned as red as her hair as she looked down. Though she turned her body to face him better when she felt the heat leave her face, but no, it was just the wine... she wasn't embarrassed around him anymore.

"I'm just surprised," he shifted a little on the couch, "You just... always avoid looking at me. It's hurtful sometimes," he said, the alcohol making him bold, "But you did ask… My dad and I were in a bad car accident when I was seven. The roads were icy and our car lost control and flipped off the road."

"I didn't realize..." she started but then nodded, unsure if she really meant to be rude to him or if she just couldn't deal with physical limitation. But she shook that last thought off, remembering all the time they've been spending together. "Can you feel them at all?" she asked, looking down at his thin legs.

"No, nothing below here," he says, marking an invisible line at the top of his hips.

Kim surprised herself when she put a hand on Felix's knee, which earned a smile from her friend.

"Now I have a question for you," he said, looking at his roommate, pointing his finger a little shakily. "Why don't you want to go home?"

Kim looked down again and tried to stop the spill of tears down her face. "I… home means facing Ron's parents, my parents, my brothers, all of our friends… and knowing that… that they all expect me to… to do this on my own. I don't know if I can, Felix… I've always had Ron there and…" the rest of her speech was lost in her sobbing. She soon found herself in Felix's arms, crying into his shoulder once more.

"Thank you," she said softly once she had calmed down enough to stop crying.

"I think your problem is that you've never dealt with nasty things," he said, still holding her.

"What do you mean? Nasty things always happen..."

"No, listen. You have a great family, friends that adore you, you're physically at your peak, you're insanely intelligent, beautiful and stubborn as hell! Your villains aren't even really evil," he seemed to lose his train of thought for a second before grasping it once more, "This is probably the worst thing that's ever happened to you and you don't have anyone that really understands you around."

"I don't think I even understand me. I mean, there's this impossible thing that I just need... and I can't even think of how to be normal. Average. Ron understood. And I think you might. You don't expect miracles because I'm Kim Possible. You… you understand what I can do and what I can't do and you make sure that I'm okay with that. Are you sure you're not some kind of psychologist?"

Felix laughed and lightly pushed the hair from Kim's face. "I've had my share of counselors and psychologists talking at me."

"You don't seem the type," she said, making herself comfortable against him, as she realized that had become a habit with the two of them.

"I'm tired..." he said, reaching for his chair and awkwardly dragging himself out from under her. Kim yawned herself as she watched him settle himself, letting her eyes close.


	4. Problems and Bigger Ones

Chapter 4: Problems and Bigger Ones

Felix came to consciousness slowly, glad that the bedroom didn't get the morning sun. His head was pounding and he knew if he didn't go empty his bladder right that second he'd have an accident. He groaned a little as he shifted out from under the arm and head of Kim...

Kim?

Felix took a short moment to register that Kim had crawled into bed with him sometime in the night. He was going to dwell on it more, but... nature called. Felix locked the bathroom door and began the process to relieve himself.

Put gloves on. Insert catheter. Push on bladder. Watch pee drain into the toilet.

It was one of those things he really hoped Kim didn't ask about. The "how do you...?" questions usually had answers that most people didn't want to hear. The human body could be disgusting when it didn't work properly. That was a fact that Felix had learned to live with a long time ago.

"Head still hurts," he murmured to himself as he checked the medicine cabinet for an aspirin.

Once out of the bathroom, Felix decided it would be best to just crawl back in bed. He could sort Kim out later. He was getting dizzy from all this moving around.

OOO

Kim stirred in her sleep when she heard the toilet flush. When the bed bounced slightly, she rolled towards the warm body that settled on the other side of the bed, wrapping herself around the other.

Ron was losing weight...

The thought pulled her from her sleepy daze as if ice water was poured over her head. Opening one eye at a time, she saw that she was clinging tightly to Felix.

Carefully pulling her arms away from her host, she took a few moments to study Felix as he slept. He was normal... nothing strange about him. He's intelligent, heck, he was the class valedictorian and had a full scholarship to CalTech. When she first learned that Felix was an engineer, she thought that he might be some sort of really wild specialty. It was almost disappointing that his last project was a skyscraper. But then again, not everyone loves cybernetics and astrophysics.

Kim's train of thought derailed on thoughts of her own career path. Her thesis in geopolitical sciences was almost finished. And after that, she had to defend it and then...

Then she had a masters degree and no idea where to go next. Kim was always convinced that she would just know what she wanted her career to be, but med school and law school didn't really feel right to her. And as much as she loved science, she thought being stuck in a lab all the time would seriously drive her insane.

Felix stirred beside her and groaned a little, which made Kim decide to slip out of bed and start cleaning up the apartment and start a pot of coffee.

OOO

It was almost a week since the funeral when Kim heard the distinct sound of her kimmunicator going off. She sighed and hesitated, but she knew that she couldn't hide from the world forever. It was nice to see Wade's face again though.

"Hi Wade... what's the sitch?" she asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to check in with you. See where you were," the young genius said.

"I'm fine, Wade. Felix is letting me crash with him," Kim frowned, not really wanting to get into this with her friend. "Are you tracking me again? I should disable that GPS chip..."

"No, I mean... I can't... trace you, that is," Wade sputtered for the words.

"Spill it Wade. I want to know what's going on," Kim asked a bit more sternly than she wanted to.

"Look Kim... I only know where you are physically because I looked Felix up in the company directory of the firm he works at. Then I hacked their HR database for his address. It was a low thing to do, but I couldn't track him otherwise. He doesn't quite stand out without the flying wheelchair," Wade explained. "Besides, I can't get a signal lock on the kimmunicator because there's a dampening field around the apartment you're in."

"A what? Why?" Kim frowned, unsure of what Wade was implying.

"Maybe you should ask Felix?" Wade suggested.

"I think I will. Thanks Wade... I'll... check in with you soon." Kim smiled and turned off the kimmunicator before laying down on the couch. She wasn't sure if it was depression or lack of activity, but she just didn't feel right lately.

OOO

Felix slouched in his chair as he listened to the project director drone on and on over the speaker. It wasn't that the subject of the droning wasn't important or interesting... it was the monotone of the man's voice that made it almost unbearable to listen to. Felix was glad he opted to listen to the conference call from his office rather than the board room. At least now he didn't have to pretend to be listening.

He was about to fold the latest memo into a paper football to flick into the trashcan when he saw a familiar man storm past his office. Felix stiffened and sat up straight, his mouth settling into a grim line. What was he doing there?

Felix reached over to end the conference call and call security when a shadow fell over him.

"So you are here," the tall, slightly unkempt man said, looking down at Felix with a disgusted expression.

"I could say the same for you... at least I work here. Are you here to beg for money from Grandfather?" Felix asked coldly.

"At least I'm not freeloading on his payroll, son," The man glared down. "Aren't you supposed to be some sort of genius?"

"I have a double BA in physics and engineering and a masters in nano-engineering. Grandfather asked me to help him out and I accepted. And he wanted to make sure you didn't screw me up too badly," Felix matched his father's glare until the older man huffed and stormed into Arnold Renton's office.

It didn't take long for Felix to grab his coat and push himself out of his office. "Hey Becky, I'm not feeling too well today, I'm going to go home," he said to the secretary, giving his best "Pity me, I'm helpless" look. It was playing dirty... almost as dirty as Kim's infamous Puppy Dog Pout.

"Oh honey, go home," the older woman smiled and shooed Felix out of there.

OOO

Kim pushed the shopping cart around the big supermarket, stocking up on essentials. Okay... she and Felix argued about what was really essential to a good diet. Kim always ate healthy... and Felix well... she wasn't sure how he didn't weigh five-hundred pounds. She just shook her head and crossed off the last of the food items off her list.

She puzzled over the last thing on the list as she turned down the pharmacy aisle. Once she located said item, she flushed red. Suppositories! She almost refused to buy the item... until she realized that she and Ron had a similar argument when she asked him to pick up a box of tampons. Taking a deep breath, Kim tossed the small box into her full cart and headed to the feminine aisle. Speaking of... she should stock up on said ladies' products... it should be...

Kim's brain screeched to a halt as did her cart. "Oh no... no... wait..." She hurriedly snapped up a seemingly simple-looking box and threw it in with the groceries.

OOO

Felix looked around the apartment and then found himself glad he was alone. He rolled his shoulders and pushed himself to his room to grab some clothes. Deciding to take a bath, he headed into the bathroom and started to fill the bathtub. As his thoughts turned to his father, he almost growled as he pulled off his shoes and socks.

"Drunken idiot. Who does he think he is? Telling me that I'm not making anything of my life... asshole," he grumbled to himself before he turned off the water and slipped into the tub. Felix sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now.. and he began to relax, closing his eyes for a minute before he heard the front door open.

Kim had wonderful timing.

Before he could call out, Kim burst through the bathroom door and nearly fell over his wheelchair.

"FELIX! What are you doing home?" she nearly shouted, trying to collect herself.

"Long story... what's wrong?" he tried to sound civil, but he did have a near-hysterical Kim staring at him... while he was in his birthday suit.

"Well... it started with the shopping and I realized that I didn't have any tampons so I picked some up and then I thought it's been over a month since I needed any and I haven't been feeling so well and OH MY GOD I THINK I'M PREGNANT!" Kim said, hiccuping after her long run-on sentence.

"What? Don't look at me, I didn't put it in there!" Felix said exasperatedly, his arms resting on the side of the tub to keep himself from sinking under the water... which was something he really wanted to do while Kim stared him down.

"I mean... if we didn't do anything the night we got drunk and passed out..." she bit her lip.

"Kim, I think I would remember if you molested me in your sleep. And I think you would have noticed if I'd made an attempt at you," Felix forced himself to be calm as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Ron's baby..." Kim sat down on the nearest object... Felix's wheelchair. Effectively blocking his escape from this oh so awkweird situation.

"Kim... if you don't mind... and I do mean this in the best way possible... could you please go and sit on the couch. If you haven't noticed, I'm sort of naked in here and... you're freaking out."

"Huh?" Kim looked down at Felix and turned a very bright shade of red. "S-sorry!"

Felix watched Kim scurry out of the bathroom and ducked his head under the water. If he was lucky, he'd just drown and he wouldn't have to deal with Kim being weird on top of the mood his estranged father put him in. After he felt her was thoroughly wet, he sat up and pulled the plug on the tub.

"Deep breath man..." he coached himself as he toweled off and put on some clothes. He was taking his time... trying to think of what to say to Kim when he met her in the living room.


	5. Weird Divide

Chapter 5: Weird Divide

Once Felix was dressed, he picked up his dirty clothes and put them in the hamper. He then opened the door to find Kim sitting on the couch, reading the instructions of a pregnancy test.

"The bathroom is free now," he said, feeling a little guilty for snapping at her when she burst in on him.

"Thanks," she chewed her lip and took the small device into the bathroom.

Felix transferred himself to the couch and waited... What would he do if she was pregnant? Would that change anything? Should he kick her out and tell her to go home? No... that was silly. Why should anything change? They settled themselves into a nice little rut of pretending the world didn't exist.

Kim returned a few minutes later, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Well?" Felix leaned forward a little.

"It has a very clear plus sign. So... I guess I'll pack my bag," she dropped her gaze to the floor and bit her lip.

"What? Kim... come here and sit down," he patted the couch next to him.

Kim sat down silently, wrapping her arms around herself. Felix put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm not kicking you out. I think we need to find a bigger place though... if you'd like to continue to be roommates. Maybe someplace with two bathrooms.." He smiled, causing her to smile in return.

"You'd put up with a mooching slacker and her bastard child?" Kim asked quietly.

"Kim... I don't think you're a sinner or anything like that. I don't think anyone is going to think you're some kind of slut. But if you don't mind putting up with me, then I don't see why we shouldn't keep this up. I've gotten used to having someone to talk to."

Kim leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, trying to hold back her tears, "You're such a great guy, Felix."

"Call your mom. I'm going to order a pizza, as all the drama today has made me hungry."

OOO

The next morning, Felix found himself in his grandfather's office, being lectured about leaving early. Arnold Renton was a very good businessman and he ran his company well, but Felix didn't really feel like part of the company. It didn't really help that he wasn't interested in the projects he was given. Truthfully, he only accepted the position as a way to get to know his grandfather.

"Felix? Is there something wrong?" Arnold stopped his rambling and looked at his grandson.

"Well... first off, dear old dad was here yesterday," Felix frowned... trying not to let himself be too bitter.

"Yes, I know, he was harassing me as well. I suppose I can't blame you for ducking out then," Arnold sighed and sat back in his desk chair. "Felix... are you happy working with me?"

"To be honest?" Felix asked, knowing the man well enough to know he appreciated blunt honest answers. "I'm bored. I'm glad I got to spend time out here, Grandpa. Really. And you did help me put off from making a pretty big decision... but I think I'm a pretty terrible engineer when it comes to buildings and mundane things like that."

Felix was a little surprised when the older man smiled, "Good... because I was going to tell you that if you hadn't already figured it out on your own. You're a good man, Felix, and I'm going to let you resign so you can start doing something useful with your time." He gave Felix a stern look, "And I would hope that you play less paper football at your next job."

"Yes sir," Felix smiled, a little relieved that the old man wasn't making this too much harder than it already was. "Thanks Grandpa."

"You are everything I'd hoped you'd be... despite what my son has put you through," Arnold stood and rounded the big oak desk to give his grandson a hug. "Now... clear out your desk. I have to have the office ready for the new engineer to start on Monday."

Felix chuckled and left his grandfather and ex-boss's office.

Once he reached his desk, he picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number of the Middleton Space Center. "Hi, mom?"

"Felix? Hi sweetheart, what's going on?"

"Well, I think Grandpa fired me. Is that job offer still opened?" He asked, trying to sound casual about the whole affair. He'd always wanted to work at the space lab, but before now, he was too concerned about any sort of family bias to actually try.

"We do need someone with your specialties... does this have anything to do with your new roommate?"

Felix cringed... Wade! "Not completely... But I'm not sure she'd move back and hang around. She might, I don't know... I don't think she wants to move back in with her folks."

There was a slight chuckle on the other end of the phone and then Alicia spoke softly, "I don't think I'd move in with them either. Do you want me to start scouting out apartments for you?"

"Yeah... if you don't mind," Felix started putting his personal items in a box.

"One bedroom or two?"

Felix almost dropped his Zombie Mayhem IV collectible snow globe. "Mom! That's a terrible thing to insinuate! Oh God now Kim's rubbing off on me. Stop giggling... I'll call you with more updates later."

Felix shook his head and cleared off his desk. This was going to be an interesting week.

OOO

Alicia Renton smirked as she hung up the phone with her son. Sometimes it was too easy to get him riled up. She picked up her coffee mug and wandered over to James Possible's station. "Afternoon James."

"Alicia," James said, typing some code into his computer. "Any luck on finding a replacement for Dr. Trahn?"

"Yes actually. I have a bright young mind ready to interview for the position," she said, leaning over her colleague's shoulder to see what he was doing.

"That's great... if he or she has even a hint of knowledge about this, then I'll let 'em in without the interview. Trying to work with one less PHD is hell," James said, punching the last line in with some finality.

"Good. Felix wants it... finally," Alicia said, sipping her coffee.

"Felix? That's great! Maybe he can convince Kimmie to come home," James said, turning to his friend.

"Maybe. I'm not sure. I think they drive each other insane, to be honest," she leaned against the desk.

James turned from his computer and nodded, listening.

"I know you're anxious to have your daughter back... but I think a little space is a good idea. I was almost sick when Felix moved out. Yeah, he was going to college, but in California? But I'm the woman that used to freak out when he came home from school five minutes late," Alicia stated, memories of Felix's childhood came to her.

"How do you stop? I mean," James fumbled with his words for a moment, "I look at Kimmie and I see her when she was three years old and she fell down and wanted her Daddy to pick her up."

"Just remember, they're adults now. And the are stronger and way more stubborn than you are. Felix outright told me in no uncertain terms that I was giving him a complex by being so overprotective," she smiled at the memory a little, "He was fourteen and I was so stunned that he'd actually payed attention to his therapist for once, I really couldn't come up with anything to counter him."

"Ah, so that's when he started to show his logical intellect?" James smirked, seeming to lighten the mood.

"Yes, and it's scary how much he takes after me. And I'm not going to take back that job offer. We desperately need help with with several projects." Alicia patted James on the shoulder as the other scientist realized that he would have to deal with another Renton.

OOO

Kim stared at the phone, trying to will herself to pick it up and dial the Possible residence. She still hadn't called her family to tell them the news. She almost jumped straight into the air when the phone rang, and on instinct, she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Kim girl?" a familiar voice asked.

"Monique?" Kim ventured, already a little freaked out by the fact that the phone won the staring contest.

"Got it in one, GF! What are you doing at Felix's place?" Monique asked, obviously amused.

"Well, it is a long and drawn out story of mostly me feeling sorry for myself... you don't want to hear it," Kim settled back on the couch, glad to connect with her best girl friend once more. "But things are getting a little weird. I uh... I'm pregnant and I'm not sure what to do."

"What do you mean you're not sure? That is great news," Monique practically squealed with glee... the noise was so shrill, Kim had to hold the phone away from her ear.

"What I mean is... it's Ron's and... and I'm currently living with Felix in a totally platonic roommate fashion," Kim braced herself for the lecture she knew Monique would give her.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think anyone that knows either of you would expect you and Felix to have gotten it on so soon AR," Monique practically chuckled.

"You don't think anyone would get the wrong idea?" Kim chewed her lip a little and pulled her legs up on the couch.

"Kim girl, I know that boy has talented fingers, but I really don't think he's good enough to knock you up."

Kim's face turned red again, "Monique! I... I don't... I can't believe you just said that!"

"Kim, are you in disbelief because I was intimate with Felix or because you just can't imagine Felix as a sexual being?"

"Um... a little bit of both? Come on Mon, he's ...Felix!" Kim protested, knowing how silly she sounded.

"Let me guess, you are still shy about the fact that he's 'permanently seated'. Do you even know what happened to him?"

"He did tell me that! He was in a car accident with his Dad," she said, almost triumphantly.

"I see... and you probably asked if he could do anything 'down there', and I'm sure he gave you that cute irritated look," Monique seemed to tick off the points on her fingers.

"Well... we were a bit drunk. Don't start! I didn't know I was pregnant then and it was the night of Ron's funeral."

"I'll let you slide on that one. Kim, just outright tell him you want to know him better. Honestly, girl, do you know where he lived before he moved to Middleton?" Monique asked.

"No... alright! You are pushy over the phone!" Kim threw her hands up in frustration. "Hey... why did you call Felix anyway?"

"Oh, I wanted to tell him that Brikk and I are expecting. Maybe our kids will be BFFs?"

"I hope so! Congratulations Mon! We should totally go shopping now... if we're ever on the same side of the country," Kim grinned, forgetting her earlier distress.


	6. Drive

Thank you to the reviewers and readers. Big thanks to my new beta Cody MacArthur Fett - Because you wanted more. A special note, all the chapter titles are either titles of songs, or song lyrics. The story was titled for a line in "Pink Bullets" by The Shins: "But your memory is here and I'd like it to stay/Warm light on a winter's day". The focus of the story has shifted a bit since I started, but the path is clear. Please bear with me and my wandering story, there will yet be mystery, action, and much more drama!

Chapter 6: Drive

Felix braced himself as he entered the apartment, unsure of how Kim would react to his news. "Kim?"

"I'll be out in a minute!" Kim called from the bathroom.

Felix busied himself by taking the box of his office supplies to his bedroom. He started when Kim walked up behind him.

"Take it easy. You're home early," Kim said, sitting on the edge of the bed to face Felix.

"Yeah, well. I have good news and bad news," Felix said, looking his roommate in the eye. "I quit my job. But, I got another one."

"Is that it? You had me worried..." Kim said as she lay back on the bed.

"Well no, we'll defiantly have to move now. To Middleton. I was offered my dream job at the space center," Felix paused, waiting for the reaction.

"Okay."

"Wait... what? Okay? You don't mind going back home?" He asked, wondering what had happened when he went to work.

"I want to get my life back together... and I don't think I want to do that out here. I want to be with my friends and family. I want to finish school and do something with my life," she said finally.

"That's great! I mean... I was worried that you were going to hit me or something," Felix grinned, glad that Kim was going to stop moping around and start living again.

"Monique called," Kim said, "She is also expecting. We talked for a while. I had no idea you guys were still friends."

"Uh oh, a little Mon-ster... the world will never be the same," he said, narrowly avoiding Kim's frown at his avoiding her question. "But I don't know Kim... why wouldn't we still be friends? We broke it off because we didn't want to do the long-distance thing, and we didn't think it'd last anyway. Not everyone's high school sweetheart is meant to be their soul mate," Felix said, heading into the kitchen to find something to eat.

"I guess that's true," Kim paused and then followed Felix into the kitchen. He could feel her hovering as he looked in the fridge. "Let's rent a house when we get to Middleton."

"A house?" Felix stopped digging in the refrigerator and turned to face her.

"Yeah, I mean... why not? It would be easier with a baby in a house," Kim's lower lip trembled slightly, as if to bring out the 'big guns' of the dreaded 'puppy dog pout'.

"Okay. Sounds good to me. How about you find us a place and I'll work out the details of getting us home," he stuck out his hand, knowing that a handshake deal would be more than sufficient for the two of them.

OOO

"Felix!" Kim shouted as she held out a rather odd-looking device. It resembled a plastic paper-towel tube with an alarming series of flashing red lights along the side.

"Hey, you found it!" Felix rolled over to her and plucked the gadget from her hands before he gave it a twist, effectively turning off the suspicious light show. "It's a signal dampener. When I was an intern at Lenscorp, this was one of my projects. I guess I forgot to turn it off... which is probably why Wade couldn't track you."

"Oh, I thought Wade couldn't track me here because you were some sort of evil super genius," she shook her head and started packing up Felix's computer. The movers they had hired were taking the furniture into the truck and would be loading their (mostly Felix's) possessions into a portable storage unit that will be put on a truck and driven to Middleton. Kim and Felix would set out with his car full of whatever was left over and make the two-day trip by themselves.

Kim couldn't help but smile at Felix's relaxed demeanor. He had been in a very good mood since they decided to move back to Middleton. She didn't realize that he'd been so homesick, but then again, Kim and Ron had only moved an hour or so away from their families... so visiting wasn't much of a big deal.

"I just sent the last of the non-essential boxes off with the truck," he said, leaning down over the side of his wheelchair to grab a small box of electronic parts.

"That's good. I put all of my things together. We should have enough room," the redhead stifled a yawn, trying to mask how tired she felt. She had no idea that being pregnant would be so exhausting.

"Tired already?" he chuckled and relieved her of the computer tower, placing it on his lap to put by the door.

"Yeah. It seems like we've been going non-stop for a few days. I just can't wait to see the house." Kim got up and stretched, looking around the empty room.

"Me too, but I think we're going to have to do some painting first. My mom said the current paint-job looked like it was done by a colorblind cat on crack," he chuckled as he shooed her from the room.

"That's going to be your job. I'm not allowed," Kim stuck her tongue out.

"Oh come on, it's not like we're using lead paint and toxic chemicals... You're just using your condition to get out of doing all the manual labor," Felix shook his head, crossing his arms. Kim felt a stab of guilt until she realized that he was teasing. While his tactic of making her more comfortable with his disability was embarrassing at times, she had to admit it was working. Kim didn't feel quite as... guilty... as she did when they first met all those years ago. Felix had a way with words that was hard to ignore. He was open about the things he could and couldn't do... but she couldn't shake that he kept a few rather important things hidden.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you can unearth your robo-chair to help you paint. Four more arms and the ability to hover near the ceiling will come in handy."

"Now, that's not a bad idea..."

OOO

It took roughly fifteen hours to drive from his apartment to Middleton. Felix glanced at the clock... he'd been driving for six hours with only a stop for the drive through. Kim fell asleep shortly after they'd set off and it was time to find someplace to crash for the night. Tomorrow, hopefully he could get Kim to do some of the driving. Pulling off the exit that boasted of lodging, he slowed the car and turned into the cleanest-looking motel he saw.

"Wake up Kim. We're stopping," he said after he parked and started to nudge his passenger awake.

"Where are we?" Kim asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Bottom of Utah... got about nine hours to go, but I'm tired and it's dark," he said, opening the back door to pull his chair out.

"Oh.. sorry. I didn't mean to crash on you," she said, heading for the trunk to pull out the bag with her clothes in it.

"It's alright. I just figured we can get a room tonight and head out first thing tomorrow. Then we'll see where we end up." He felt better once he was out of the car.

"One room?"

Felix turned to grab his own bag out of the car and nodded, "Yeah, a double should be fine... what's wrong?"

"Nothing... that's fine. Just... feels weird, I guess... Middle of nowhere, sharing a motel room, sounds a little like the start of a horror movie." Kim walked ahead of him and held the door open while he squeezed through. The registration process was fairly painless and soon the pair were headed off to a room on the ground level.

OOO

Kim entered the rather unimpressive room first and switched on the lights. It was basic... but clean. She sat on the nearest bed and pulled off her shoes as Felix made a break for the bathroom.

It was a tight squeeze, and he couldn't quite turn around and close the door at the same time. "Well, I think I might have to complain about this."

"About what?" Kim said from the bed.

"Can't shut the door," he tried his best to find the humor in the situation... but he was tired and it wasn't working out as he had planned. So, he'd decided to proceed with his business. It wasn't really worth going back to the clerk for an accessible room that this place may not even have. Just as he was in the process of dumping the contents of his leg bag...

"What are you-" Kim spoke from right behind him. "Sorry! I'll... be um... over there..."

He briefly wondered if Kim always planned to catch him in the bathroom at inappropriate times or if she was just lucky that. After he took care of that task, he backed out of the tiny bathroom and washed his hands.

"Kim?"

"Is it safe to look now?"

He turned around and Kim was laying on the far bed with a pillow over her head. "Yes, it's safe," he couldn't help but chuckle. "It's okay Kim. I think I lost the ability to be embarrassed about such things a long time ago."

The former super heroine sat up, her face still as red as her hair, watched him as he pulled himself onto the bed next to her. She seemed to be thinking of what to say.

"Will you please stop feeling bad, guilty or responsible for something that happened years before we met?" he said, laying back on the somewhat comfortable motel bed. "There's only one person responsible and he's not going to bother me anymore."

"What happened... what really happened, Felix? I want details. I think I need to know... if you're going to be around my baby," Kim said, surprising the both of them with those words.

"I was seven, and it was..." he paused to collect himself, knowing that he would have to tell Kim the whole story. Not even Monique got the whole story. "Late January... and it was snowing. My Father and I were going to pick my Mom up from the airport. I'm not sure where she went, I don't really remember being told. Anyway, I had to go with him because her flight was delayed and I couldn't stay with the neighbor."

Kim sat up, clutching the pillow to her chest and watched him.

"It was bad... and Father was drunk. I'm really not sure what happened then, but we never did make it to the airport," he heard Kim's gasp, but kept talking. "He got out without a scratch, but thankfully he got a DUI, and a little bit of jail time... not too much as he'd been able to pay off the fines right away. I got a broken T-12 vertebrae, three cracked ribs and a concussion."

Felix looked over at Kim, who was being very quiet. He didn't quite like the way she clutched the pillow to her chest.

"Why... how could anyone do that?" she muttered into the pillow.

"Kim?" He pushed himself up on one elbow as he took in the silent shaking of her shoulders.

"I just... I mean... I don't understand how someone could just... endanger their child like that," she sniffed and looked up at him with wet eyes.

"No offense, but not everyone has a perfect TV family. But... hey, come here," he scooted himself over and patted the bed beside him. The young scientist was mildly surprised when Kim sat down beside him. "You have to stop feeling bad about the things you don't have control over."

"But... control is... nothing bad happens when I'm in control," she said miserably. "If I was there with Ron, he wouldn't be dead."

"Kim, you aren't responsible for Ron," He sat up against the headboard and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm such a mess, Felix... I can't believe you put up with me," she looked over at him again trying to muster up a weak smile.

"A big wet mess, but that's okay. I'm a mess too, I just hide it better," Felix grinned before reaching around to grab the remote to the TV.

OOO

Kim opened her eyes to discover that she was alone in the room, a very empty room. Upon further inspection, she noticed that her Middleton Dogs t-shirt and her jeans had been replaced by a light blue satin dress embroidered with silver thread.

"My prom dress?" Kim looked around in wonder only to find that the room had been replaced by a decorated gymnasium. The sound of her strappy heels clicked loudly on the wooden floor, causing her heart to race.

"Care for a dance, KP?"

No... it couldn't be...

Kim turned around and found herself in Ron's arms. He was dressed sharply in a black tuxedo instead of the blue one he'd worn all those years ago. "Ron? I thought... but you're..."

"Shh KP. Everything is going to be okay. I promise. Nothing bad is ever going to happen," Ron whispered in her ear as they danced across the deserted floor. Kim couldn't help but cling to her boyfriend and best friend of so many years. He was safe, warm... like a favorite blanket. Constant... and he was always there when she needed him. She sighed against his chest, closing her eyes.

"Oh Ron, I missed you so much."

Just as she began to wonder where the music was coming from, her heel slipped in something wet. Kim looked down and let her partner go as she inspected the thick wet mud that coated this section of the dance floor. "What the..."

She spun around slowly and found that there were bloody footprints all around her... signs of a struggle. Kim backed up, slipping in the mess and screaming as she backed into someone. She turned again and bumped into Ron...

"What's wrong, KP?"

He was covered in blood and dirt, his tuxedo ripped and stained. Kim staggered back and fell on her backside, sending spatters of blood-tinged mud all over her dress and in her hair. When she looked up again, Felix was looking down at her from where Ron stood just a second ago.

"Kim, that's not what I meant when I said big wet mess," he chuckled a little, not seeming to mind one bit that they were both covered in blood and filth. Felix reached down and pulled her back to her feet. Once again, she was surprised by the fact that Felix was taller than Ron.

"Thanks... Felix? How did you get here?" Kim asked, still shaken by the odd sequence of events.

"Isn't it obvious?" He grinned and spun around before taking a few steps backwards, obliviously flinging more mess around the room. "I drove. You know, the traffic is a mess around here."

Kim only nodded as she suddenly noticed that they were standing outside the Middleton High School. She glanced back the way they came for a second and opened her mouth to ask Felix a question. "Hey Felix?"

The scientist turned back towards her from the parking lot.

They stood in the middle of the highway. Snow fell all around them. Kim shivered as Felix waited for her question.

The only thing Kim could do was scream as Felix was hit by a truck.

OOO

Kim woke up screaming, which in turn, caused Felix to wake up screaming due to Kim nearly rupturing his ear drum. Once the initial shock was over, he realized that Kim was clinging to him rather tightly. "Kim? Hey... what's wrong?"

At the sound of his voice, Kim choked back a sob, shaking her head as if to clear it.

"Hey... shhh... it was just a dream," He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back gently until reality came back to her.

"I'm sorry I woke you. It was just so... vivid," Kim whispered, relaxing a little.

"What was it about?" Felix inclined his head to try to see her face past the red hair. He briefly wondered if she even realized that she had fallen asleep curled next to him last night. Not that it was a particularly bad habit, but some people could get the wrong idea.

"Ron," she said simply, not wanting to let on to the fact that the most disturbing part of the dream had been a rather gory interpretation of the story he'd told her the night before.

"Ah. I see. Why don't you go take a shower and I'll start packing up so we can get back on the road?"

"Oh. Right. We can go get breakfast and I'll even do some of the driving," she managed a smile as she slipped off the motel bed and found her way to the bathroom.

Felix lay back on the bed and scrubbed at his face with his hands. The clock by the bed glared angry red numbers at him. "Six? At least we'll be home before dark," he mused to himself before closing his eyes to rest for a few more minutes.


	7. Lull

Chapter 7: Lull

Bonnie Rockwaller sighed, leaning her elbows on her desk. She'd already handed in her report of her last case, cooperation with the local police force and blah, blah, blah. She'd joined the FBI for adventure, didn't she? No, that wasn't it. Not really. Deep down, Bonnie had been inspired by her high school rival, though she would never EVER admit it unless on the pain of death. Maybe not even then. But Bonnie decided to take a more practical path in that vague "hero" career. Freelance heroes or vigilantes only ended up making things worse.

She let a sigh escape her lips and slipped a rather messy file folder from her drawer. It bothered the young agent how easily Stoppable's disappearance had been ruled out as a murder. Bonnie cursed as she added a new piece to the puzzle, tucking the printed email into the back of the file. Global Justice had "captured" Gill Moss and were holding him at an "undisclosed location". That wasn't fair! She'd busted her butt working this case! Why did those morons at GJ have her suspect!

Angrily, she picked up the receiver of her desk phone and punched in the now-familiar number. "Thank you for calling Global Justice. If you know your party's extension, please enter it now..." The computerized voice droned at her as she aggressively punched in the number that would take her to-

"Will Du, how can I help you"

"Hi. This is Agent Bonnie Rockwaller. You might remember me from the Stoppable case," she started, trying not to start screaming at the GJ operative right away.

"Oh yes, I remember you," the man on the other end of the line said dismissively. "Tying up loose ends, are we Agent Rockwaller?"

"No. I want to know why you are holding my suspect. Gill Moss needs to be interviewed by federal agents! This case is out of your jurisdiction!" Bonnie couldn't help but shout into the phone.

"Normally, it wouldn't," droned Du, which only made Bonnie want to use him as target practice. "But since Ronald Stoppable was a part-time agent with Global Justice, we feel that we should take precedence and interrogate the suspect. If you like, I can arrange for you to interview him at our HQ?"

"That's not good enough and you know it!" Bonnie slammed the phone back in its cradle and flopped back into her chair. She crossed her arms and scowled at the other agents that looked her way. Another glance down at the file folder and she picked up her phone once more. It was time she called in a few favors. Just because she didn't like freelancers, didn't mean that she wouldn't use one to her advantage.

"Bonnie?" the voice on the other end of the phone seemed startled.

"Yes, you owe me one," Bonnie grinned like a cat that ate the canary. She'd get to the bottom of this with or without GJ's cooperation.

OOO

The blue ranch house seemed serene enough, despite the chaos that surrounded it. The Possible's family car was there, as well as Dr. Renton's van and the moving truck. Jim and Tim Possible were running back and forth with the movers as James Possible wrestled with a portable grill on the front porch, cooking enough food for the small army that came by to help Kim and Felix move. Kim grinned and parked the car in the driveway before she rushed outside to greet her family.

"Daddy!" she threw her arms around her father's neck and smiled.

"Hey there, Kimmie Cub, we thought we'd get an early start by making dinner. Your mother and Alicia are in the kitchen cleaning the cabinets," Mr. Dr. Possible smiled at his daughter, glad to have her safe and within a ten mile radius of him.

"Thanks Dad. It's good to be home," Kim said at last before heading inside to check out her new house.

Mr. Dr. Possible watched his daughter for a moment before he remembered his hamburgers and gave them a careful flip. "Well Professor Renton? Are you ready to start work on Monday?" The older man smiled at his daughter's roommate.

"Professor? That makes me sound so old," Felix grinned and fished around the cooler for a can of soda. "But I'm ready to take apart that micro-robotics lab you have at the space center."

"Dr. Boxer from Lenscorp gave you a stunning recommendation," James said as he shut the lid to the grill and turned to face Felix.

"It's good to know that someone other than my mother thinks I'm qualified to man one of the most advanced civilian labs in the country. But uh, I get the feeling that you don't want to talk shop," Felix lowered his voice and glanced into the house through the front window.

OOO

Kim started stacking dishes in the cabinet above the stove while her mother and Alicia Renton carried two more boxes in from the pile in the living room.

"Kim? What should I do with these pots?" Mrs. Dr. Possible said, pulling out cast iron skillet. "Ohh this is nice."

Alicia chuckled and set her box down on the table. "That was my grandmother's skillet. Felix took most of my good cookware," the robotics specialist smiled and opened a lower cabinet. "That's alright. He uses them better than I do anyway."

"I try to stay out of the kitchen when he's in there or I'll get run over," Kim said, finishing her task and contemplated what to store in the other cabinet.

"Oh, it looks like the movers are done. I'd better run out and pay them," Alicia grabbed her purse and ran out to meet the moving team. Out the window, Kim and her mother watched the other woman flirt with the man in charge before she handed him a good tip.

"I think she got his phone number," Anne Possible smirked as she turned back to sorting out silverware. "Kim?"

"Yeah Mom?" Kim turned from her stacking and leaned against the counter.

"You and Felix are just friends, right?"

"What? Of course we are! Mom, I can't believe you'd insinuate that I'd... hook up with someone else so soon after... after Ron," Kim looked up at her mother in shock.

"Kim, I'm not insinuating anything. I'm just saying that you should be careful. Felix is a nice man and... I know you wouldn't rush into a relationship so soon. But, I think you need to be careful not to hurt Felix's feelings." Anne put her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"Felix isn't Ron. He can't replace Ron. But, I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't stumbled onto his doorstep," Kim looked up at her mother.

OOO

"So, Felix, you and Kim...?" James asked as Felix took over at the grill. The younger man seemed more adept at not burning the food to a crisp, which was comforting to know that at least one of the occupants of this house could make an edible meal.

"Kim and Ron have been two of my best friends since I moved here, Dr. Possible. If it had been Ron or Monique or Zita I'd have done the same thing," Felix sighed and shifted a little in his chair. "Dr. Possible, Kim is a very good friend and I don't intend to hurt her. We just ended up helping each other out, and found that we like sharing a living space."

Felix's revelation had calmed the rocket scientist quite a bit, though James didn't doubt that there was a bond between his only daughter and the brilliant young man before him. But right now, they had a house full of hungry people to feed.

OOO

Felix practically collapsed on the couch as soon as the last of the move-in crew left. He didn't even care that he had only half made it on the couch and his right foot was somewhere in the vicinity of the coffee table. His whole body hurt, which he figured included the parts he couldn't feel because he was too tired to be an optimist. The scientist felt his eyes close when he felt a presence hovering over him.

"Hmmm?" was all he could manage at the intrusion.

"You don't want to fall asleep here, Felix, you're on a box," Kim said as she tried to shake the man awake.

"No it's more comfortable than you'd think. It's a new sleep sensation... smelly cardboard boxes are going to replace memory foam as mattresses," Felix said sleepily as he tried to ignore Kim.

"Felix, don't fall asleep, at least let me help you to your room?"

"Too tired, I'll let you tell me 'I told you so' in the morning," he grumbled and shifted so that his shoulder wasn't on a box containing various electronic components. He felt a few moments of uninterrupted bliss until his whole body unexpectedly shifted and his head smacked against said box so hard, his eyes shot open. "What the hell?!"

Kim stood over him, her hands on her hips and a very angry expression on her face. "Felix Nathan Renton, don't you dare make me pick you up. I worked very hard today to make sure we could sleep in our own beds tonight. And I'm not going to help straighten you out in the morning when you found that you tied yourself into a pretzel."

Now fully awake, Felix pulled himself into his abandoned wheelchair and made his way to his bedroom, unsure of what exactly cause the wrath of Kim to fall upon him. But he smiled when he noticed that everything seemed to already be in place. He quickly readied for bed and headed back down the hallway to Kim's room.

"Hey Kim? Thanks... I didn't realize how much you guys did while we were hauling empty boxes and moving furniture around," he said through the partially closed door.

"You're welcome Felix. Now go to bed, I think they want you to go to work tomorrow."

The happy moment shattered with the thought of having to actually do something in the morning, he retreated to bed, and fell asleep quickly.

OOO

Felix stifled a yawn as he entered the lab early in the morning. Really, who was it that said science happens at the butt crack of dawn? He sighed and swiped his access pass at the security door and entered his code. Going through security seemed rather quiet today, which was probably the result of a long session held by the head scientists that lasted long into the early hours of the night.

Felix thought about that first cup of rocket fuel that passed as coffee and turned the corner into yet another secured area. After another access code, he entered his area of the lab. Ahh the sound of silence. He really hoped that he could get some work done.

Something didn't feel right though, empty coffee cups usually were the norm... but the desks were covered with stale pools of the tepid liquid. Lights in the corner flickered with a faulty bulb. There was an odd chemical smell in the air. Felix found himself drawn by curiosity towards the darkened corner of the lab.

Blood spread over the tiles and fur from the test primates littered the area. Three of his colleagues lay motionless on the floor, claw marks and other animal markings covered their bodies. Felix rolled his wheelchair backwards to avoid tampering with the scene... but he nearly fell out as he scrambled for the nearest phone. His first call was to security... and the second was to the police.

As he sat, looking over the terrible scene, he heard a familiar voice. "I thought you were off today, _Felix._"

He spun around to see Zita Flores, her lab coat stained red. Her dark hair was tangled and hung about her face. She limped towards him slowly, her purpose uncertain.

"Zita? Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, looking over his girlfriend, making sure she was alright.

"Felix... this place... why didn't you tell me what we were doing?"

"What? I didn't know what was going on in here... I just set up the equipment... you were the one that got picked to assist..."

When he looked around, he was surrounded by FBI agents, training guns on him. "Put your hands up Mr. Renton."

Felix jerked awake, for a moment unsure of where he was, though the memory of that day making him shiver, even in the heat of his own bedroom. He groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over his head and trying to drown out the old memories by naming as many prime numbers as he could think of.

He sighed again, but at least he knew this time, the place he was working for was a legitimate lab with ethical standards.

* * *

Sorry this chapter took so long. I will try to get the next chapter up sooner.


	8. Life, Returning

Chapter 8: Life, Returning

Zita hummed quietly to herself as she mixed some more paint. She was nearly finished with this painting in which she turned the garden view outside of her window into a faerie wonderland. She normally didn't go quite as "girlie fantasy" in her painting, but this was going to be a birthday present for her niece. Now that she had a rather nice shade of pink to work with, Zita was about to continue with the faerie's elegant dress when her phone rang. She sighed and quickly wiped her hands off on a rag and put down her brush.

"Hello, Zita here," she said, looking back to the unfinished painting.

"Hey there, Zita," a familiar voice came through the speaker.

"Felix! My mother had to tell me that you moved!" She sat down at her desk chair and smiled, glad that her friend had called. Yeah, she broke up with him years ago, but they were still on fairly good terms and were working towards friendship.

"Yeah well, things got a bit hectic when I was fired and then immediately got offered a job and had to move. I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you sooner. By the way, happy birthday," he said and she could hear him smiling on the other end of the phone.

"Thanks Felix. My family came by over the weekend and we had a little party. I got your card, by the way. I think you're the only guy I ever dated that remembers my birthday..." she trailed off and looked down at her slippered feet. "You're a sweet guy, Felix. I'm sorry I flaked out on you like that."

"Hey... don't do that. I said I forgave you a long time ago. Please don't think that I'm going to hold that over you. It was... it was a rough time for both of us," he said, sounding a little hurt.

"I'm sorry Felix," she tried to laugh a little, "I think I'll be saying that for a while. I mean... because of me you were in jail and had to go through all that stuff with the FBI..."

"Yeah well, I still think a couple weeks in jail while Bonnie Rockwaller sorted out that case was a vacation compared to what they put you through. I mean, it's over now... and the only place that I ever wanted to work for has no problem with my sordid criminal record," Felix laughed a little, bringing her spirits back up.

"I don't know though. I still feel like I screwed up somewhere. I think that's why I'm still here," she sighed and looked around the 12 by 14 box of a room with a single hospital-grade bed, a simple desk and chair and window overlooking a rather dull garden. Even the new clothes her parents brought her didn't help much. She'd have given up hope of ever pulling herself back together if her family and close friends hasn't been there to give her support.

"Zita, Four Fields is the best place for you right now... and soon, you'll be able to go back home and getting a better job and everything will be fine."

"Yeah well, how would you react if you were hiring and it came up on a resume that the gap in employment was due to 'mental health issues' and all you had to go on was a note from some quack that your new programmer isn't going to freak out on her coworkers," she sighed, flopping back on the bed.

"Hey, you'll get there... and you know what? You're so good that they won't care if you showed up for work naked," Felix stopped for a second and she could hear his grin, "actually that might help your case!"

Zita actually laughed at that. "Felix! You pervert! Enough about me... tell me something nice."

"Well... Kim Possible is pregnant and um... living with me," he seemed to mumble that last part.

"WHAT?! You're seeing Kim?"

"NO! I mean... No I'm not seeing her in that sense. We're just housemates. The baby belongs to Ron... and she just needed some help sorting some things out."

"Oh. Because I was going to say I thought... um... nevermind. How is the new job?" she stumbled over her words a moment before changing the subject.

"It's great. I get to play with the best tech and all the funding paperwork is done by someone else," he said, grinning into the phone. "Oh... I uh... have to go. My cell phone is telling me there's a breakthrough on the new project and I have to be there to go scream at someone."

"Well have fun, Felix. I'm glad you called. Next time you're in the area, come by! I want to see you in person," she said, trying not to sound too lonely. But Felix was the only person she could really talk to that wasn't a doctor or councilor. They'd gone through hell together... and she'd messed up their relationship by going down a bad road.

"I will. Maybe then I'll have to sneak in some contraband"

"I look forward to it. Bye Felix." She sighed and hung up the phone. She had some more painting to do... but at least she felt like something good happened that day.

OOO

Kim got up to use the bathroom one more time that night. As much as she loved that she was going to be somebody's mom within two weeks, she was really beginning to disagree with the whole process. Maybe there would be an easier way to have a baby in the future. Once her business was done, she headed towards the kitchen... but seeing Felix half-sprawled out on the couch made her wonder.

"Felix?" She said quietly as she put a hand on his shoulder. He was still wearing his labcoat and shoes. He snored lightly and didn't even wake as his cell phone started to buzz. "Oh Felix..." Kim slipped off his shoes and threw a blanket over him. She smiled at how cute he looked when he was asleep, but her thoughts were interrupted by the knocking on the door.

"Hey, it's three in the morning! What is so important at... Daddy?" Kim looked up at her father. The man looked tired and seemed to wince when it was his daughter at the door, instead of his colleague.

"Hi Kimmie Cub... I hope I didn't wake you... I came to get Felix for some more testing. He said he'd be back by now and..."

"No. He's not going anywhere. Unless there's a bomb that's going to blow up if he doesn't, he's going to stay where he is. You should go home too... or should I call Mom and the team's significant others?" Kim knew that Felix and the rest of the workers at the lab were running themselves ragged on this project. If they we successful, they would lay the groundwork for a manned mission to the end of the solar system. But setbacks and budget cuts were taking their toll and so were the long nights. Kim had hardly seen Felix for more than an hour over the past week.

"Kim... but the project..."

"Will be easier to work on once you've all had some sleep. Good night, Daddy. Go home and tell the rest of the team to go as well," Kim kissed her stunned father and closed the door. She walked back towards Felix and smiled. "You are staying home tomorrow."

"Oh good. They don't really need me at this phase of testing anyway," Felix said, yawning.

"You're such a sneak... you heard that?" Kim sat down on the couch while Felix scooted over to make her some room.

"Yeah well, I was hoping he'd go away if I ignored the knocking and cell phone long enough," he looked over at her. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh... had to go, then got hungry, then I got sidetracked. Do you need some help getting to bed? You look terrible."

"No, I think I can make it now. Thanks Kim, you're a good friend." Felix smiled as he pulled himself into his wheelchair and headed into his room for the night.

"Just returning the favor, Felix," she whispered as he wheeled himself away.

OOO

Felix yawned again. Kim had gone into labor a few days early and he'd driven her to the hospital early that morning. What he didn't tell her was that when she woke him up, he hadn't really had the chance to sleep from the triple-shift he pulled at the lab. With Kim's "kimness", he decided it was better to take a nap in the waiting room while her family stays with her.

"Possibles?" A nurse called, flipping through a chart, "Kim wants her mom in there... who is due to be down here in about ten minutes after she's done checking on a patient. She didn't say who else she wanted in there... but not all of you will fit." The nurse looked over Dr. Possible, the Stopables with Rufas and Hanna, Jim, Tim and finally Felix. "Give me one second, gang."

OOO

"Kim, your family wants to know who else can be in here with you," Beth, the nurse asked her. Kim looked up at her and thought a minute.

"I don't feel right with Mrs. Stoppable... she's a wonderful lady, but... I want Felix," she said, trying to concentrate on what she was supposed to be doing.

OOO

Felix had just drifted off to sleep when the nurse came back and called his name. He then had two families staring at him as he jerked awake. "What?"

"Kim wants you to stay with her," Mr. Stopptable said, smiling weakly.

"Oh... why?" he shook his head, "Nevermind. I'm coming," he said as he followed the nurse into Kim's room.

The nurse had left the two alone in the room while she checked on another patient. Felix just parked himself near the bed.

"Thanks Felix... I didn't want anyone else in here. I trust you not to freak out too much," Kim said, smiling a little through the drugs she was given.

Felix managed a smile, despite how tired he was. "Looks like they got you on something good..."

"Yeah... I can't feel my legs... whoops, sorry Felix."

"No offense taken, you'll probably need that later... when a kid the size of a watermelon comes out of something the size of a small lemon."

"Eww... oh.. I'm trying not to think about that. I'm scared and mom's not here yet and... What if I'm a horrible mother?"

"Kim," Felix took her hand, "You are not going to be a horrible mother. You will be fine. You family will help you. I'm your best friend, right?"

"Yeah, you are... thanks Felix."

The rest of the day was a blur... it wasn't until it was dark, did the doctor come in with a beautiful baby girl and presented her to Kim.

"Oh... my baby!" Kim cried a little as she held her daughter. The rest of the family was finally let in the room.

"Kim honey, what's her name?" Mrs. Stoppable said as the baby was passed around the adults.

"Veronica Rachel Possible," she said, smiling as her mother held her first granddaughter. If the Stoppables were upset that their grandchild didn't carry their name, they hid it well. They cooed over the little girl and everyone marveled at the tuft of dark hair that sprouted on the baby's head.

Felix smiled as the tiny bundle of baby was passed into his arms. He was so tired, but the sweet little girl and her green eyes stoke his heart. He knew this little girl was going to be spoiled... and he was probably going to be responsible for most of that.


End file.
